


kiss the cook

by autumnstwilight (sewohayami)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Fluff, IgNoct, Kissing, M/M, Slice of Life, Video Game Mechanics, prompto ignores the fourth wall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2020-01-07 07:32:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18406028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sewohayami/pseuds/autumnstwilight
Summary: “Thanks for bringin’ me the goods.” As always, Takka seemed a little jumpy, but he handed over the usual package of ingredients. “I reckon y’all earned this reward. It’ll make a fine meal. And be sure to kiss the cook for me.”(The sidequest isn't over until you've done everything you were told to.)





	kiss the cook

**Author's Note:**

> haha i have had this mostly but not quite finished for ages and now i'm just throwing it at ao3 enjoy
> 
> (also technically a fill for my own prompt on the kinkmeme last year)

“Sidequest!” crowed Prompto, as Ignis pulled the Regalia out of Hammerhead's driveway.

“What?” was Gladio’s growled response, as irritated as he always sounded when Prompto compared their lives to a video game.

“Well, you know. We’re on a journey to find all the magical weapons left by Noct’s ancestors, and fulfil a prophecy,” Prompto replied, gesturing widely with his hands as he spoke. “That’s the main quest. So, any time someone asks us to, say… go _all the way across Lucis_ and pick up their groceries, that’s gotta be a sidequest.”

“So you're saying it's optional?” asked Noct, already slouching with his head resting on one hand.

“We eventually need to make our way back to Lestallum in any case,” said Ignis. “We may as well collect Takka's vegetables while we're there.”

“Sure. We could probably use the XP anyway. I feel like the daemons are getting tougher lately.”

“That's cause you've been slacking off,” scoffed Gladio. “That Mindflayer might not have gotten you if you hadn't been trying to take a damn selfie with it.”

“No appreciation for my art,” Prompto muttered, then pulled his camera out to review his recent pictures. The small screen flashed with an array of chocobos, photos of the four of them posed at landmarks, and blurred snapshots of Noct falling on his rear mid-battle. Prompto snorted to himself as he scrolled through.

From the back seat, there was the sound of a can of Ebony being opened, and Ignis reflexively reached back to accept it.

“Wake me when we get there, Specs,” said Noct with a yawn.

“Naturally.”

* * *

 

It was blasted hot in Lestallum, as it was every time they visited, which didn't stop Noctis and Gladio from complaining about it. They turned in some hunts, stopped by the weapons dealer, and by the time they made their way to the crowded marketplace, Ignis’ hair was beginning to wilt. Sweat stung at the corners of his eyes and his glasses were slipping down his nose. He was impatient to get to the hotel room and shower, but the crowd moved at a shuffling pace.

“Think I should get this Cactuar for Talcott?” Noctis asked.

“I suppose it would be a nice gesture, yes. We were paid well for those hunts, so we can afford some gifts."

“Alright. Anything you want, Specs?”

 _A bathtub of ice water,_ he thought, but said, “Just a few ingredients we need to restock.”

Noctis sighed. “I meant... for yourself."

“I don't collect trinkets, if that's what you're asking."

“I _know_ ," said Noctis, definitely irritated now. “Just...jeez. I'm buying you something. Choose.”

“Out of our shared funds?" Ignis raised an eyebrow, but couldn't stop himself from smiling. “How generous. Then perhaps...” He took a small jar of Eusciellian-farmed saffron from a vendor’s stall. Loathe as he generally was to purchasing Imperial products over their Lucian counterparts, the combination of spring rains brought when the warm winds of Tenebrae met the chill from Ghorovas Rift, and the dry desert summers made it the perfect location for farming the spice.

“That still looks like an ingredi-” started Noctis, then his eyebrows shot up as Ignis showed him the price written on the tiny jar.

“A luxury I wouldn't normally allow myself.”

“Yeah. Okay. Wow, what is it, worth its weight in gold?”

“Quite literally," Ignis agreed, as Noctis handed the money to the vendor. They moved on.

As the movement of the crowd carried them around the market at an agonizingly slow pace, Ignis was able to secure the vegetables that Takka had requested, and his own ingredients, one by one. He made room for them in the trunk of the Regalia, then followed the others, who had made their escape back to the air-conditioned haven of the Leville. He checked off his daily quests in King's Knight while waiting for his turn in the shower.

* * *

 

“Thanks for bringin’ me the goods.” As always, Takka seemed a little jumpy, but he handed over the usual package of ingredients. “I reckon y’all earned this reward. It’ll make a fine meal. And be sure to kiss the cook for me.”

Gladio made a snort which he covered as a sneeze, while Noctis seemed to be pretending that Takka hadn't just instructed him to kiss Ignis. Takka should have known by now who the chef of the group was, but then again the man did usually appear somewhat out of it. Perhaps it had been an attempt at humor. Ignis decided to brush it aside in favor of examining the contents of the package.

“Sidequest complete then?” asked Noctis, as they left the diner.

“Hey, you heard the man,” replied Prompto. “We’ve gotta cook something with those ingredients.”

“If you say so.”

Ignis cleared his throat. “In any case, I believe I have an idea. We should be able to make it to the next haven before nightfall. I’ll start on dinner when we arrive.”

* * *

 

Their arrival at the haven brought a thankful end to the in-car argument about whether the tomatoes they had acquired were technically a fruit or a vegetable. While Gladio set up the tent, Ignis began arranging the camp stove and cooking equipment, and the other two went to the river to fetch water and definitely not, they had promised, have a mud fight in the shallows and generate a pile of wet and slimy laundry for Ignis to deal with. He kept an ear out for outraged shouts just in case. They _were_ taking their time, but it was likely that Noct was attempting to scope out the area for fishing spots.

Ignis looked up from his work. The sun was low and orange, beginning to dip behind the hills. He tutted.

“Daemons'll be out soon,” muttered Gladio.

“Indeed. Would you mind retrieving them?”

Gladio grunted his agreement and rose to his feet, making his way down the side of the haven. Ignis used the remaining water in one of their canteens to wash his hands before lining up ingredients on the chopping board. They _still_ had some Midgardsormr fillet on ice from their trip to the Glacial Grotto, and the nutmeg from Takka would help ameliorate the gamey flavor when cooked into skewers. The leftover tomatoes could be included in a cake, an experiment he had long wished to try and his latest attempt at forcing some nutrients into His Royal Highness.

* * *

 

The other two had retreated into the tent, and soon the faint sound of snoring could be heard. Noctis remained by the fire, gazing into it as he had so many nights since the whole mess began. Ignis frowned. Perhaps it was best not to leave him alone with his thoughts.

“Noct, would you mind helping with these dishes?" he ventured, ready to be brushed off if his prince truly needed some space. But Noctis looked up, firelight catching in his hair and eyes.

“Yeah, sure.” He made his way over to where Ignis was cleaning the last few plates and the grill, forearms deep in soapy water, and silently accepted the plate he was handed, giving it a somewhat lacklustre wipe with a dishcloth.

“I suppose this means our sidequest is over then,” Ignis mused, keeping his tone light. “Have we levelled up?”

“I dunno,” Noctis said. “But you're not quite right about that.”

“Oh?” Ignis raised an eyebrow, unsure what it was that he was not quite right about.   

“Still haven't done everything Takka said.”

And before he could retrace his memories of what, precisely, Takka had said, lips were pressed against his, fingers curling around the back of his neck.

 _Who taught you to kiss like a prince?_ was his first, discombobulated thought. It was soft and sweet, with just enough pressure to make it something substantial, real. A momentary brush before Noct’s bottom lip found his top lip, a deepening, the slightest parting of lips and the merest sigh teasing of things that might be unchaste, before pulling away. Fairytale perfect, somehow, in the middle of this unromantic wasteland, clothes stained with dust and sweat, dishwater and soap suds on their hands.

They parted and he blinked speechlessly at Noctis, still standing rather close, peering up through ruffled bangs.

“Whaddya think, Specs?”

He found his voice and planted his hands firmly on Noct’s shoulders, keeping him close. He tried to keep his tone low and serious, but couldn't stop his mouth from turning up at the corners.

“I think,” he said, “that you might owe this cook rather more than _one_ kiss..."


End file.
